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After graduating from Towson University with a Bachelor’s degree in animal behavior, Serda Ozbenian interned at the environmental law firm Earthjustice where she received an introduction into the field of policy. This stint with policy led her to AWI where she now educates the public and policy makers on the need to protect wildlife. Serda launched and is now the lead of a campaign to thwart the sale of shark fin soup in U.S. restaurants. Some of the other issues she works on include whaling, dolphin hunting and capture, and humane education. She has helped organize many demonstrations and educational activities including the annual rally against the slaughter of dolphins in Japan, a lecture at Georgetown University with actress Hayden Panettiere to speak about dolphin and whale conservation, and a demonstration in front of the National Marine Fisheries Service headquarters to protest their authorization of the use of Naval sonar that is harmful to marine animals. These events have been successful in attracting media attention and engaging many people in the conservation and protection of marine mammals. She is currently preparing Endangered Species listing petitions for a number of fish species.
Aside from her work with AWI she also volunteers her time to the Armenian Environmental Network (AEN), of which she is the executive director. AEN is a new environmentally focused network of development professionals and students in Armenia and the US, aimed at promoting awareness of environmental and energy concerns for Armenia’s development. The network has so far held three successful panel discussions in Washington D.C.